Concern about the diet for a dog with cancer

While our four-legged companions and bloggers Bo and Jessie take a little break from the topic this week, the folks at Joy of Living Pet Sitting Services in Kansas City are truly interested in making sure all pet owners have access to good information regarding the health of their pets. We genuinely care that all pets feel great!

In keeping pace with this month’s focus on cancer in pets, we wanted to highlight a bit about the diet aspect when dealing with a dog that has cancer.

Dogs with cancer can become malnourished if the cancer affects their metabolic processes or if they are experiencing nausea, vomiting or any sort of intestinal problems due to the chemotherapy. It is so important to make sure your dog gets good nutrition to help him fight the disease during the treatment phase and so he can maintain optimum health while he recovers.

Dogs who feel nauseous or who have diarrhea may associate eating with feeling poorly. As such, they may have no interest in eating their food. Here are a few suggestions to help a cancer-stricken dog with his diet:

Feed your dog several small meals throughout the day.

Avoid giving your dog any pills at meal time.

Do not push the food on the dog. It is better to just pet him and talk to him with the food close by and be alert if he shows any signs of interest in eating.

If your dog is suffering from nausea or vomiting, ask your veterinarian about anti-emetic medication that may abate that problem.

Never coax or force a dog to eat when he is showing signs that he simply does not feel well. If he turns his head away or spits the food out or buries it under his bedding, just leave him alone. The mere sight of food may make him feel sick to his stomach.

More than anything, give your dog the continual love that he deserves and needs. He will eat that up no matter how he feels.

(Information for this post was found at the online magazine for all pet and showdog owners: Dog Owner’s Guide.)